The Portland daily press., 1887-07-18
the WAYS OF the ANT.
What Sir John Lubbock has Found
Out About Them.
[London Telegraph.l ]

Sir John Lubbock lectured recently at the
Workingmen's college in Great 0rmond
street ON his favorite topic Of ''The Habits of
Ants" As is well known, Sir John lives on
terms of intimate acquaintance, not only,
with ants, but with bees, butterflies and
many other insects He possesses, or lately
did possess, wasp which had been his at
tached and confidential friend for eleven
years. and he has familiarized himself with
the ways.of ants by studies almost more pro-
longed and careful than those of De Geer,
Huber, Letreille or Kirby and Spence. And
what amazing creatures the ants are, even
from an outside point of viewl Leaving
alone the comparative gigantic ants of India
and the tropics, and the white ants, which
are the neuroptera, to contemplate only our
own common species, what a force of wit
and will is condensed into their tiny frames!
They are the athletes of the insect world
easily carrying ten times their own weight.
The edifces they rear by cOnjoint labor rem
der the pyramids ridiculous; for the common
wood ant, 'formica rufa," will build struc-
lures as large as a hay-cock, all of mere frag-
ments. If others are content with smaller
domiciles 1t is because their needs are sufficed;
but all alike dwell amid their underground
galleries and halls with the order and ac-
tiyity of busy. well-governed city. No
nonsense is talked in Ant-Land about every
body being as good and great as anybody
else. Their monarchical constitution, which
has lasted since t he Pleistocene, Is never
changed or abused. There are the. queen
mothers OF the community, immensely hon.
ored and cherished; the males, with Tour
wings, who lead a short and lazy life; the fe-
males, with two wings, the profile survivors
uum of the neutrals or workers. without
wings atalL These last sustain, protect and
really manage the public affairs. They run
about in the breeding season, picking up the
eggs which her majesty scatters hither and
thither, and laying them in the sun to hatch.
They nurse with Infinite devotion the ant
babies when they appear, putting them In
the warm upper galleries by day, and at
night "tucking them up" in the snuggest
lower chambers. The bring home stores OF
food to the ant city, for those are wrong who
say that the little creatures do not lay. up
winter provisions. Being passionately fond
of sugar, some of them actually milk the
green aphides which fill themselves with
honey-dew upon the rose bushes; indeed,
the fOrmica fava, the "yellow ant" takes
these insects home, and Keeps them there as
farmer does herd of Attorneys. They
go upon xpeditions-admirably planned and
conducted-to forage, to fight, to capture
slaves; and help each other on such occa-
sions, with comradeship as marvellous as
their courage and patriotism. They know
how to utilize blades. OF glass OF stuDple
stalks as pillars, coating them with earth
paste, and springing arches from one to the
other as adroitly as London archltect.
Their valor is as wonderful as their strength,
and their loyalty equals both; while, as for
their intelligence and social virtues, these
have been justly subjects of admiration ever
since the time Of King Solomon, who is said
to have heard the ants talking when he
from his war-horse to humble himself before
the Lord, who had put such great wisdom
into such little bodies.
Some will say: AN this Is romance.
How are such things known about the ant
people?" They would not, however, show
| themselves thus ignorantly incredulous II
| they could see the 'formicaries," or artificial
| cities, by means of which observers like Sir
| John Lubbock study the habits of the ants.
These are very simple & IN construction. A
rounded by water, so as to constitute an
| island, within which the small earth-folk
must perforce abide, for no ant can swim. A
| modicum of dry clay or garden soil is sifted
upon the tray, over the larger part Of which
| inch from the wooden floor. All is then ready
| for the reception of community which may,
| of course, be brought pell-mell from the
| nearest ant-hill Before long the emigrants
| win make the best of their new location, by
| constructing passages, chambers, pillared
| halls, royal apartments, and nurseries out Of
| the earth provided, and settling down to the
| duties of an ant town. A little dab of honey
| laid outside the colony, on the uncovered
part of the tray, supplies Them with food,
/ which they come to fetch, emerging from
gateways made at the edge of the glass
cover. Thus recommences the regular exist
ence of the tribe, which may grow to num-
Der quarter or a half million souls. We
| say "souls" advisedly, for, when the OBJ
server quietly draws aside the upper lid
| which conceals the glass top, there lies dis
| closed the daily existence of the tiny crea-
lures, furnishing evidence Of gifts utterly
astounding, and hardly to be disposed of BY
calling it all instinct" In one city thus
| suddenly revealed to view will be seen the
queen-mother-of truly royal stature COM
pared with her children and subjects
ing in her throne-room. Ants come and &c
through the apartment, laying down small
carrying them off again when her majesty
has Inspected, touched, perhaps fed them
| The ants-in-waiting, IL we NAV so stylt
them, do not turn their backs upon the soy.
ereign their heads are all in the direction Of
"the presence" In another city, whose
ferent species lives. They are, perhaps, ,IthI
pale colored ants, who capture and trair
slaves; and, If so, one may watch the luxuri
GUS masters, fed and attended by dark servi
tors, who scurry hither and thither, inten
upon their duties, visibly performing al
ants. And slowly wandering up and dowr
the same streets and squares, will be observ
ed small wood-lice, .quite blind, but domi
ciled and maintained by the community, tn,
function of which appears to be keeping tn,
city clean, for they will be seen feeling abou
| N T.